PhD Educational Psychology

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Program Coordinator: Dr. Nadia Nosworthy

Program Overview

The PhD in Educational Psychology offers a general emphasis which provides students with a strong basis for training in the field. It also prepares college and university instructors for positions in education and psychology departments, normally in the areas of human development, personality, learning and instruction, measurement, statistics, and research design. Educational psychologists are also found working in schools, businesses, industries, and various human development settings. The program provides some flexibility, enabling the student and advisor to plan a sequence of experiences which is appropriate for the student's professional goals.

Program Information and Handbooks

Campus Location

Andrews University’s campus is located in Berrien Spring, MI, just two hours from Chicago. Founded in 1874, the University offers 130 undergraduate programs and 70 graduate programs.

Research Training

Students entering their PhD studies are encouraged to engage in research beginning their first year.  Complementing these research activities is a curriculum which lays down the groundwork through six required courses in the areas of statistics and research methodology.  Faculty serve as mentors to help students become adept at conducting scientific research with the goal of training life-long learners with a focus on research, multicultural aspects of human behavior, and the science of the mind. Students are encouraged to find projects which they can contribute to and become involved in. The Office of Research and Creative Scholarship provides resources to students interested in developing research projects or contributing to an existing one.

Philosophy for Student Evaluations

Students entering the program have their progress evaluated in various program requirements.  Students will be evaluated a minimum of once a year to ensure that adequate progress is made toward meeting program requirements. A combination of course grades, evaluations of field work experiences, comprehensive exams, and research and dissertation progress will be used to evaluate the professional growth of the student and their progression through the program. Students are evaluated in the areas of interpersonal and professional competence, self-awareness, self-reflection and self-evaluation, openness to processes of supervision, and resolution of problems or issues that interfere with professional development or functioning in a satisfactory manner.

Evaluation Criteria – Academic/Professional Competencies

Students are evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Courses Completed: including grades, number of incompletes, learning experiences or personal products.
  • Practice: including application of work in courses, progress towards competencies, and experience with multicultural populations.
  • Research & Writing: including research team involvement, progress towards dissertation, or other extracurricular writing experiences.
  • Conferences & Workshops: including all professional conferences or meetings attended (local, state, and national).
  • Presentations given: including topics, dates, and occasions of presentations made at professional meetings, conferences.
  • Professional Service/Other Professional Activities: including significant educational activities, such as committee work, manuscript reviewing, or professional memberships not covered in other areas.
  • Multicultural Competence (awareness, knowledge, and skills) in practice and research.

Doctoral Transfer Requirements

The Educational Psychology program allows incoming students to transfer in a limited number of previously completed relevant graduate level coursework.  Students must complete at least 32 in-residence semester credits at Andrews University.  Listed below are non-transferrable portions of the program.

  • Dissertation credit– 16 credits minimum (14 dissertation, 2 EDRM880)
  • Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

Andrews University may grant credit for courses completed at a university that is either regionally accredited or a recognized candidate for accreditation according to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). In addition, credits from a foreign post-secondary institution that is recognized and approved by the local Ministry of Education as a degree-granting institution may be accepted. 

Accreditation 

Andrews University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It is also accredited by the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s accrediting association: The Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges and Universities.

Contact

Andrews University Graduate Admissions
269-471-6321
graduate@andrews.edu

Department of Graduate Psychology & Counseling
4195 Administration Drive – Bell Hall 167
Berrien Springs, MI 49104
Phone: 269-471-3473
E-mail: gpc@andrews.edu
Web: https://www.andrews.edu/ceis/gpc/

Program Coordinator: Dr. Nadia Nosworthy